Water pipe repairs planned
After several water main breaks in Creemore this winter, Clearview has moved pipe repairs up its to-do list.
Since December, there have been two leaks to the same section of pipes on Elizabeth Street east of Mary Street, which Public Works repaired. There was also a broken service on Edward Street East that required excavation.
“[Elizabeth Street] moves up on the list because of the breaks,” said Mike Rawn, General Manager of Environmental Services in the Public Works Department. “These streets will be the first we ask Council to consider replacing.”
Water main pipes made from cast iron usually last 100 years, said Rawn.
However, Elizabeth Street has ductile pipes that were installed in 1965 and have a shorter lifespan of about 70 years.
The multiple breaks indicate “they are running out of life,” said Rawn.
Every summer Clearview reviews its asset-replacement schedule, which includes water mains. Water mains are replaced based on the age, type and condition of the pipes.
The Public Works department makes recommendations to Council to replace pipes during the budget process, which begins in the fall.
In 2015, the Township plans to replace the water pipes on Caroline Street West between Mill Street and Collingwood Street, which have been have been repaired about four times in the past 10 years, Rawn said.
There are now five or six clamps (which are used to stop leaks) holding this block of pipes together.
He estimates that Caroline Street will cost about $225,000 to repair.
One major factor that affects scheduling water main replacement is the road condition. If a water main is close to needing replacement and the road above it requires paving, the Township will do both jobs at the same time.
Due to this season’s harsh weather, Public Works has already surpassed the usual number of four or five broken water pipe repairs it performs each year.
“It’s the nature of this winter,” explained Rawn. “With the amount of cold weather we have had this year, it drives the frost further down and affects soil stability. It’s not the water that has been freezing – it’s the earth shifting around and breaking the pipes. We have had two significant repairs in Stayner, the ones mentioned in Creemore, and five customers with frozen lines.”
Pipe leaks in Creemore can be tricky to identify because Creemore’s rocky soil prevents water from surfacing. Public Works employees use leak detection equipment to help find breaks to pipes in Creemore. In Stayner, on the other hand, the soil contains clay and sand, so pipe leaks are indicated by pooling water.
However, this winter the leaks on Elizabeth Street surfaced because frost had frozen in the crevices between the rocks, Rawn said.
There are no plans to replace pipes in Creemore this year. Stayner, on the other hand, will have two pipes replaced, as they were installed in 1917 and lie beneath roads that are scheduled to be paved.
